Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Birchbox November 2016 | Review

The November Birchbox landed a few weeks back, but I’ve been so busy getting to grips with my new job that I barely looked at it!

I rediscovered it on the kitchen table a few days ago and it was almost like receiving it again, as I’d completely forgotten what was inside.

These boxes just fluctuate so much as to whether the contents are any good – and September’s box left me really underwhelmed, So would November’s get back the magic?

Read on for a peek inside….

The November Birchbox is a collaboration with Tatler magazine presented in a really striking turquoise peacock feather design box.

The society title is well known for their focus on the glitterati parties and elite social events, so you’d think if anyone knew what products can power you through party season, it would be them!

Nuxe Crème Prodigieuse

I am a massive fan of French pharmacy brand Nuxe. Their Prodigieuse Huile D’Or is a constant dressing table must-have for me for its multi-tasking smoothing properties and I recently tried a shower oil from them that I also fell in love with.

I’m always on the hunt for a decent moisturising cream, so I was happy to see this sample nestled in the box. The focus here is soothing recovery, and the formula is designed to boost the skin’s antioxidant levels, restore hydration and tackle tired, lacklustre skin.

As a new parent, I don’t need to wait for party season for my skin to look dull and tired – that’s a permanent state of affairs! The blue everlasting flower in here will hopefully tackle the problem, and I’m hoping its going to smell as good as the other Nuxe products I’ve tried.

I generally prefer a bit more of an anti-aging focus to my skincare than a straight cream, but combined with a good serum this could definitely work. At £21 for the full size, its not extortionate for a product that performs well.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

Next up was this pocket-sized hair treat. It looks quite handy for travel as its designed to replace multiple hair care products in one by conditioning, smoothing, detangling, adding shine and ‘protecting’ the hair, although its not clear if that means from heated tools or just environmental damage.

You spray it onto clean, damp hair and its supposed to leave you with silky soft, manageable locks – which is definitely the dream. Things like this I tend to stash in a drawer for when I go away, as its useful to have lots of travel size minis that cut down on carrying huge bottles around, and hair care is one of the worst areas for this.

I didn’t find this exciting and I have my doubts about how effective it might be, so I wasn’t tempted to try it right away. I’ve been trying to do that more as I end up with so much stuff waiting to be used!

ecoTools Precision Blush Brush

Our full size treat this month was an EcoTools blush brush. After literally years of not wearing blush, I’ve recently gotten quite into it, and I do prefer blush brushers with smaller heads so I can place the colour much more precisely, but although they call this a ‘precision’ brush, the head looks fairly large to me.

I know a few people who rave about ecoTools brushes (my mama, who is a fellow beauty addict, swears by them!) but I’m pretty wedded to Zoeva and Real Technique. I’m not a fan of the wooden handles and brown metallic ferrules here, but if the brush is good, functionality definitely wins the day. I’m prepared to experiment!

But really I already have so many brushes, this would have to be something special to go into daily rotation! The bristles are synthetic, which means that this would work well with cream blush. All the materials are recycled, which is really nice. I might keep this as a travel brush or gift it to someone who would love it.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Primer

This little tube was actually what got me the most excited from this month’s Birchbox. I do love a statement lip and I’ve been wearing a lot of dark crimson colours at this time of year. This primer promises to prep lips for wearing extreme colour.

It contains Vitamin E, hemp and peppermint oils to condition, smooth and slightly plump. This is really important when wearing bold colours as they tend to highlight any blemishes on the lips.

I’m not sure how much longer this makes colour last, but I have recently rediscovered old fashioned Lipcote, which is actually amazing when you’re sick of having smudged lipstick – another thing that easily happens with dark colours.

I’ve never tried OCC but I have heard the buzz about them, so I’m really looking forward to trying this out.

Darphin Lumiere Essentielle Serum

Who doesn’t love a good serum, especially at the moment with the cold wintery weather doing its best to strip out any glow from the skin?

Renowned skincare brand Darphin must know the secrets! I’m quite intrigued by this as it’s a hybrid serum and oil combination, and I’m a big fan of oils for regulating, smoothing and boosting the vitality of skin.

This serum is targeted to increase radiance and looks ideal for reviving winter skin. I love the super-cute mini bottle it comes in as well, where you can see the apricot gel containing tiny spheres of the skincare ingredients.

I’m pretty much in love with the No7 Protect & Perfect serum – its really effective and a brilliant price – so I’ll be interested to see if this is any better. At £55 for the full size it isn’t a ridiculous price, so I’m hoping it delivers the magic it promises!